Turns out Beyoncé didn't cause the Super Bowl blackout after all

Faulty relay device was the culprit

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Relax football fans, the cause of last Sunday's Super Bowl power failure has finally been found.

While initial police speculation thought a power surge may have been the culprit, many facetiously placed blame on Beyoncé's halftime show which, among other blinding uses of luminosity, featured a fire-spitting guitar and digital duplications of the diva.

Now, it appears the Destiny's Child reunion wasn't a literal show-stopper after all.

The sleuths at Entergy New Orleans, the Mercedez-Benz Superdome's electric utility provider, announced that the power failure was the result of a faulty electrical relay device.

"While some further analysis remains, we believe we have identified and remedied the cause of the power outage and regret the interruption that occurred during what was a showcase event for the city and state," Entergy New Orleans President and CEO Charles Rice said.

Really just a relay?

The relay device in question was one designed to protect the Superdome and its electrical equipment in the event of a problem between the switchgear and the stadium.

The faulty relay triggered a switch to open during the game's second half that should have been left closed, resulting in the fondly remembered 34 minutes of confusion and watching players as they stretched.

Entergy New Orleans assured fans that the relay device has since been removed, and the replacement will be put through what will likely be vigorous testing.

While the news deals a disheartening blow to conspiracy theorists, it's nice to know that the actual cause has been discovered and dealt with accordingly. Sorry, Beyoncé.